Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

A Woman Under the Influence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 30, 2013

Nominated for two Academy Awards, John Cassavetes' "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video conversation with actors Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk; archival audio interview with John Cassavetes conducted by French film scholar Michel Ciment; production galleries; and audio commentary featuring cameraman Mke Ferris and sound recordist and composer Bo Harwood. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Exhausted

Note: A Woman Under the Influence is part of Criterion's upcoming John Cassavetes: Five Films Blu-ray box set.

Nick (Peter Falk, Wings of Desire, Husbands) loves his wife, Mabel (Gena Rowlands, Gloria, Opening Night), the way she is - brittle, somewhat unpredictable, trying her best to be a good mother to their three children. But deep inside Nick knows that she isn’t well. At work some of his buddies have already told him that they think that she is going crazy, but he knows that this isn’t true - because it can’t be true. Mabel is just different. And right now she just isn’t well. People get sick but then they get better. That’s all. Eventually, Mabel will also get better.

But with each day Mabel gets worse. There are times when she would forget that she is a mother. She would also argue with Nick over small things and then try to hurt herself to prove that she is right. When other men come to their house, Mabel would also act like a little girl and embarrass Nick without even realizing it.

Dr. Zepp (Eddie Shaw), a close friend, eventually recommends that Mabel is hospitalized. While she is away, Nick takes care of the kids. Life becomes quieter but the void Mabel has left behind is difficult to get used to. Nick also can’t get used to the endless questions at work, the offers to help. Are these people serious? He does not need help, never did in his life. All he needs is Mabel next to him, smiling, taking care of the kids, telling him that she loves him.

Six months later Mabel returns. She stills looks brittle, but now she seems to understand how she is expected to behave. All of the guests who have come to greet her are encouraged - whatever the doctors did to her sure seems to have worked. But when Mabel asks to see the children, something inside her suddenly snaps and she goes berserk again.

Arguably John Cassavetes’ greatest film, A Woman Under the Influence is so raw and direct that at times it becomes incredibly difficult to endure. The atmosphere is too tense, the pain and suffering too real not to be moved by them.

The film is also too chaotic, but not unfocused. This is the type of chaos that human suffering creates. There is a good reason why Nick and Mabel’s children are often in front of the camera - they are the litmus test in their lives, keeping them sane, aware that they are adults who must act like adults. The viewer also understands that they are real people. When the children are not around, Nick and Mabel are taken out of their comfort zones and pushed into the chaos where they unleash their emotions and hurt each other. The drama is beyond real, often devastating to watch.

There is zero sentimentality in the film. The reason why is because A Woman Under the Influence is a not a study of marriage and relationships, it is a slice of American reality. That’s all. The chronology of Nick and Mabel’s relationship isn’t important; the beginning and the end are absolutely irrelevant. What matters is how they react to the events that affect their lives now, while the camera ‘sees’ them. When the camera stops filming it is not because their story has come to a conclusive end, it is because Cassavetes has simply captured the essence and rhythm of their lives.

It has been said many times that Rowlands’ brilliant performance is the reason why the film works so well, but Falk is the real catalyst that gives the film its edge. He is a tough man who keeps trying to be a good husband and father but keeps failing. It is absolutely impossible not to be moved by his attempts to show that he is still strong, capable of dealing with whatever life throws at him, and repeatedly discovering that he is no longer the man he used to be.

Note: In 1975, A Woman Under the Influence earned Oscar nominations for Best Director (John Cassavetes) and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Gena Rowlands).

A Woman Under the Influence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from a 35mm color reversal internegative and restored by Criterion. The original monaural soundtrack was restored by Audio Mechanics in collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm full-coat magnetic recording. Sonic Solutions' NoNOISE, Sonic Studio HD, and Pro Tools were used for pop and click removal, dropout repairs, hiss reduction, and EQ rebalancing. The UCLA Film & Television Archive's restoration of the sound was funded by the Film Foundation and GUCCI.

Transfer supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Sound restoration supervisor: Ross Lipman/UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Sound restoration: John Polito/Audio Mechanics, Burbank, CA.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern VideoFilm, Burbank, CA."

Aside from possibly a slightly better compression (on the Region-B release), the basic characteristics of the high-definition transfer are essentially identical to those of the high-definition transfer the British Film Institute used for the UK release of A Woman Under the Influence. And as it was the case with Faces and Shadows, this should not be surprising considering the fact that the UK release has a high-definition transfer which uses as a foundation a telecine supervised by Criterion's Maria Palazzola. Generally speaking, detail and clarity are very good throughout the entire film. The various close-ups consistently impress with excellent depth. Contrast levels remain stable. Colors are well saturated but never appearing boosted. Arguably the best news, however, is that there are no traces of excessive degraining and sharpening corrections. Needless to say, when viewed on a large screen the film has a very solid and very convincing organic look. (This is a very good Cassavetes film to compare on Blu-ray and DVD to see how serious the upgrades in image quality are when the film is viewed in high-definition). Lastly, there are a few tiny flecks, but there are absolutely no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or warps to report in this review. (Note: This is Region-A Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

A Woman Under the Influence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track helps Bo Harwood's soundtrack quite a lot - the piano solos have plenty of depth and dynamic movement is surprisingly good. The dialog is also stable and easy to follow. Occasionally some extremely light hiss is felt, but it never becomes distracting. Also, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

A Woman Under the Influence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for A Woman Under the Influence. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk - in this video piece, actors Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk discuss their contributions to A Woman Under the Influence and recall what it was like to work with John Cassavetes. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in Gena Rowland's home in Los Angeles in 2004. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080i).

• Cassavetes Audio Interview - an archival audio interview with John Cassavetes conducted by French film scholar Michel Ciment in 1975. The American director explains his approach to filmmaking, the editing process, the type of emotions he was interested in having in his film, the history of A Woman Under the Influence, etc. In English, not subtitled. (75 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Philosophies and finances
  2. Emotion and improv
  3. Character background
  4. Not crazy
  5. Directing
  6. Casting
  7. A rough film/Glass of water

• Production Galleries - all in 1080p.
  
  1. An Unbreakable Date/Morning
  2. After School/Five Points
  3. Accident/Beach
  4. Mabel's Return
  5. Crew

• Commentary - this audio commentary initially appeared on Criterion's John Cassavetes: Five Films DVD box set. It features cameraman Mke Ferris and sound recordist and composer Bo Harwood. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2004.

A Woman Under the Influence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of John Cassavetes and his work will not be disappointed with Criterion's technical presentation of his legendary film A Woman Under the Influence. Rather predictably, this release also has a much stronger selection of supplemental features than those found on the BFI's Region-B release. Mark your calendars, folks, and do not miss Criterion's upcoming John Cassavetes: Five Films Blu-ray box set. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.